Fate
by Mirime Kisarrastine
Summary: It's not a happily ever after. What they have is far better than that even though it comes with a price. Sequel to Royalty and Duty, Mystogan/EdoErza pairing. Rated for violence.


Another sequel to_ Royalty _and _Duty_. I really came to like this Edolas AU and spreading my love for Mystogan/EdoErza is always fun. I'd like to dedicate this one to **Antispiral**, not only for being the first to put an idea of sequels into my head but also for her continuing support and fun-to-read PMs. She's also translating my _Odds and Ends _series into Italian and posting them on EFP (link is in my profile, if anyone's interested). So, thank you, Giulia, and this one's for you.  
**Disclaimer:** Do you really think I would troll the manga the way Mashima sometimes does? Honestly, if I owned the series, this would be canon (elaborated in an omake special or something).

* * *

One. Two. Three.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

A step forward. A jab. Turn it into a side sweep. Jerk back. Repeat.

The Ten Commandments worked as an extension of her own body and Erza knew each of its forms, each of the movements she could do with it, each of the many ways it could hurt and destroy her opponent.

One. Two. Three.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Turn. Sidestep a lunge from the left. Block the opponent's weapon. Twist your own weapon and hit the artery in the neck. Pull back and step away to avoid being covered in blood.

She was aware of the eyes on her. There was a whole retinue of maids and servants that seemed to follow her everywhere she went. It went with the position. The Queen of Edolas couldn't run around without a proper escort, not even to a training field.

One. Two. Three.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

A quick thrust forward. Change the grip. Sweep the opponent off their feet. Stab them as they lie on the ground.

Erza came to a stop. She was breathing hard, dammit. Still not in the top form. The forced break in her training regime had lasted for eight months and it was showing on her form. She got her speed back but her stamina needed more time. Though it was worth it.

"Milady," Rebecca, an older maid, approached her with a towel. Erza took it gratefully, wiping off the sweat that had resulted from her exercise. "You were magnificent," the maid continued. Erza waved the praise off.

"Still not good enough."

"You are too much of a perfectionist," her husband's voice said, sending the servants into a flurry of bows as the King of Edolas walked past them.

"How long have you been here?" Erza asked, motioning for another maid to come closer. This one held a small bundle of royal purple blankets. Carefully taking the bundle from the maid, Erza peeled away the top blanket, revealing an infant with large brown eyes that focused instantly on her face.

"Is she awake?" Jellal asked instead of replying to her and she noticed the change in his voice immediately. It had been light and carefree when teasing her but turned gentle and low upon the question.

"Yes."

A large toothless smile was aimed in their direction as the baby recognized their voices. The little girl gurgled, waving one fist in the air, barely missing a strand of Erza's hanging hair. She tossed it away with a practiced movement of her head.

"Another reason to keep my hair short," she murmured to Jellal who chuckled before sending the servants away with a single gesture. It was an alone time for their family, a time that had been increasingly harder to find in the recent months.

"Here," he offered to take the baby from her. "I'll hold her while you freshen up."

Erza nodded. Their daughter had been born three months ago and thank god for that. Erza's mother and Jellal had almost driven her crazy during the pregnancy. Jellal was quite over-protective even now but most of it was now focused on the little princess herself. Not that Erza blamed him. She knew she would die before letting anything happen to their child. And no power in the world would save anyone who would dare to touch the kid.

She heard Jellal talking to their daughter as she was washing her face and had to suppress a snort at some of the things he said.

"Your mother is really strong, Isabelle, don't you think so? I bet she will insist on teaching you how to fight when you get older. And if you have half of her talent, you will never have to fear anything. But both of us will still want to protect you because you are the most precious thing we have."

"You're being sappy, Jellal," Erza called out to him, changing to a simple tunic and pants. She disliked wearing a dress of any kind. It hindered her movements too much and after all, some habits were hard to break.

"I have a right to be," he shot back. "Father's prerogative when it comes to daughters."

Erza sat on the bench next to him, running one finger down Isabelle's face.

"You can't protect her forever. No parent can."

"We can still try," Jellal replied. They sat in silence, simply enjoying the rare moment of peace that was shattered when Isabelle let out a huge yawn, her eyes blinking sleepily.

"Time for her afternoon nap," Erza stood up, taking the baby girl from his arms. "We are dining with the Sengar delegation tonight, right?"

"Yes. I want to talk with you before that."

"I'll come to your office once I put her to sleep," Erza promised, striding away. "Prepare the reports from the military. I want to check up on something."

"It sometimes feels like you are the one running the kingdom," Jellal said jokingly, standing up as well. Erza paused in the doorway that led to the training room, looking back over her shoulder.

"You mean I'm not?" she asked, her face serious. Jellal crossed the room, kissing her on the cheek.

"Of course, you are. You know the saying: Behind every great man..." he trailed off at her frown. "What is it?"

"You're being sappy again."

"Only with the two of you, Erza, you know that."

"Well, stop it for now."

"As you wish, my queen."

He took a low bow and if Erza wasn't holding Isabelle, she would have commited an act of both a domestic abuse and a treason at once. The situation being what it was, she merely sighed and stalked off to their chambers, leaving her husband laughing quietly to himself.

* * *

When she came to his office half-an-hour later, there was no trace of amusement left in his face. He was perusing a stack of documents, setting aside one or two every couple of minutes.

"The reports on Sengar?" Erza asked as she sat into her usual chair, pulling the documents Jellal had set aside towards herself.

"Reports, rejected peace proposals, estimation of power... Everything we have on them. I have read all of it and still can't figure out their intentions."

He dropped the last of the documents back onto the table and leaned back in his chair.

"You haven't looked this tired since the first months after taking the throne," Erza observed quietly.

"I haven't been this tired since then," he countered. "I just don't get it. Sengar keep saying they don't want the war but they reject every treaty we propose, demanding unreasonable conditions to be added to them. I don't want to drag Edolas into a war but I'm afraid we'll have no choice."

Erza put down the papers she was holding, regarding him seriously. Her pregnancy had left her a bit out of the loop with the current political climate but she knew her husband well enough. If things came to the state where the peace-loving Jellal was considering going to war...

"Do you want an estimate what the war with Sengar would cost us?" she asked seriously. She was far better strategist and tactician than him and growing up in a military family, she had a grasp of military matters far surpassing her age.

"Yes. I had some people give me numbers but I want your opinion as well."

"We would win but with heavy losses on both sides," she said bluntly. "Ever since the depletion of the magic in the world, out troops have been at a disadvantage. We spent better part of twenty years building a magically equipped army and we conquered the world with it. But as a consequence, we have almost no soldiers left capable of fighting without magic. The training programme I introduced as the Chief of Staff made some difference but still not enough to make it an easy victory for us. The worst part is that since we kept the magic to ourselves, the other nations built their armies without it and are therefore more experienced in a magicless fighting. And Sengar was the last to submit to our rule, just three years ago. We surpass them in numbers but that's the only thing going for us."

"That's what I was afraid of," Jellal sighed. "We must hope we can break through to their emissary tonight. The open conflict must be the very last solution."

"Jellal, if it really came to war, would you let me go back to the active duty?" Erza wasn't sure why she was asking but his expression made his answer clear.

"No," he vocalized it as well. "I won't have you risking your life in the front lines."

"I could lead from behind," she tried.

"Erza," he smiled sadly. "I know you. You wouldn't settle for a command position in the rear. You would want to be in the front where you could slaughter your enemies directly."

Erza looked away. She could admit to herself that she missed the battlefield. She had been brought up a soldier and a fancy ceremony wouldn't change that.

"I'm almost back to my previous form," she spoke up at last.

"Almost isn't good enough. I couldn't bear to lose you," he admitted softly and Erza looked up sharply. "Besides, think of Isabelle. She needs her mother."

"You are right," she said heavily. "Of course, you are right."

Because really, he usually was when it came to things like that.

* * *

The dinner with the Sengarian delegation was a strained affair. Their conversation from the afternoon still weighing heavily on both of their minds, Erza and Jellal were rather silent throughout the meal. Finding out that the emissary was a man who had been forced to capitulate to Erza's forces several years ago didn't help the atmosphere any. The other dignitaries tried to keep up the chatter but the somberness of the three most important people in the room didn't go unnoticed.

Erza excused herself after the dessert had been served which was the earliest she could leave without appearing insulting. She wanted to go to their rooms at once but then changed her course towards the armory. It was empty and she went directly to her trusted weapon.

Ten Commandments might not have been able of transforming any longer but it was still a magnificent weapon. Taking it off its stand, she examined the blade, checking that it was cleaned after her training session. Closing her eyes, she could almost imagine the weapon thrumming in desire to be out on the battlefield once again. But those days were gone. There were her duties as the Queen and Isabelle. Isabelle would always come first.

Erza opened her eyes. She would check on her daughter and go to sleep. She would talk with Jellal in the morning and they would try to find a solution to the Sengar situation. She turned to put the spear back but then reconsidered. She was in a nostalgic mood that night and carrying her weapon around for a bit would ease that nostalgia.

With a barely concealed grin, she shucked off the heavy skirt she had been forced to wear to the dinner. Underneath she had a short underskirt and her favourite boots. Taking off the outer camisole, she was left in a fitted shirt which laced in front. In her days as the Commander of the Second Magical Force Unit she had worn far less. It would do for a short trip to Isabelle's room and then her own. Feeling more relaxed, Erza set out, her spear slung over her shoulder.

Maybe it was the presence of the weapon or her desire to go back to her fighting days but she noticed immediately that something was wrong when she entered the section of the castle which contained the royal chambers.

The corridors were too silent, for one. The maids should have been scurrying about, carrying out last minute tasks before going to bed. An occasional guard should have passed the corridors on patrol. There should have been more life. Instead there was - nothing.

Erza paused, her old instincts kicking in. If there was a trouble brewing - a surprise attack, for example - where would the enemy strike first? The answer was obvious and Erza broke into the run, heading for her daughter's room, briefly wishing for Silfarion to make her even faster.

The guard who was supposed to stand in front of the princess' room was slumped down on the ground, a pool of blood slowly spreading from underneath his body. Erza didn't think, she just reacted. Kicking open the door, she entered the room, her eyes seeking the crib immediately.

It was by the back wall, surrounded by four men. Isabelle's caretaker was lying on the ground but whether she was merely unconscious or dead already was hard to tell. One of the men was reaching into the crib but paused at her sudden entrance.

Erza expected a rush of hot fury to flood her veins, to be filled with burning rage which would cause her to see red. Instead, she felt like being frozen all over, her anger cold and unforgiving. Neither of the men would walk out of the room alive.

"Get away from her."

It was her voice, frigid as the deepest winter. One of the men actually shuddered. Erza took a step forward and the men stepped back from the crib. But then Isabelle cried out and the spell was broken. One of the men looked at the others.

"We're four to one. Kill her!"

Erza noted to herself he was probably the leader. She would kill him as last after interrogating him a bit.

Two of the men rushed at her and it was all routine as she spinned, using the handle of her spear to sweep one off his feet and then to stab the other through the stomach. She jerked out the blade with a wet squelching sound, quickly reversing the direction of it and decapitating the man who had fallen down.

The other two paused, finally realizing their opponent was far more than they could handle. But the realization came far too late and Erza was out for their blood. She stepped over the two bodies and even as the leader tried to make a stand with his sword, she almost casually made a low sweep across their legs.

The leader stumbled back. The other man, though, didn't manage to avoid the hit entirely and he cried out in pain as his legs gave out under him and he fell on his back, staring with wide eyes as Erza stopped over him. And then, like an ancient goddess of vengeance, she delivered the finishing blow, spearing him cleanly through the heart.

The leader was backing away now but Erza wasn't having any of that. Quicker than he could react, she jabbed him in the solar plexus and then bashed him over the head as he leant forward, gasping for breath. He crumbled to the ground.

Erza used her foot to turn him over on his back. He was still conscious and she stabbed him into a left shoulder.

"I'm going to ask you some questions," she stated quietly. "For every refusal to answer, I will create a new wound on your body. However, if you cooperate, I will kill you quickly."

He coughed and tried to writhe away but she pulled out the spear and stabbed his other shoulder. He cried out in pain.

"Who are you, you crazy bitch?"

Stab. This time, she aimed for the left thigh, taking care to avoid the major artery.

"I'm the one asking questions. But I can humour you this once. I am Erza, Queen of Edolas, formerly known as General Knightwalker or the Fairy Hunter," she smirked as his eyes widened in recognition. "Who sent you and what were you supposed to accomplish?"

He hesitated but as she lifted the spear threateningly, he spoke up quickly.

"We are from Sengar. We were suposed to kidnap Princess Isabelle and bring her to our kingdom."

"Not kill her?" Erza asked.

"No. They want to hold her hostage so you would agree to their conditions."

Erza looked at him for a moment but he seemed to be telling the truth. He was too scared to lie.

"Thank you," she said and then slit his throat quickly. Only after she was sure he was dead, she allowed herself to relax. A whimper from the crib snatched her full attention. Crossing the distance to the crib in two steps, she leaned over, letting out a relieved sigh at the apparently unharmed child. She pulled out her daughter, holding her tightly to herself as the baby girl whimpered.

"It's okay," she soothed her. "I'm here. You are safe. Shhh, don't cry, Isabelle, shhh."

The girl, feeling the familiar embrace and scent calmed down rather quickly. Erza kept rocking her, speaking softly, not even realizing how strange this display of motherly affection looked among the carnage in the room.

"Milady?" a gasping voice called out.

It was Sonja, Isabelle's caretaker who was apparently still alive.

"Go and alert the guards that the intruders from Sengar have tried to kidnap the Princess," ignoring the startled gasp, Erza continued issuing orders. "Have them raise security inside the castle, doubling the patrols everywhere. Then let my husband know that I am staying here with our daughter. Try to not to alert any of the guests to this. Understood?"

The maid nodded rapidly and practically ran out of the room. Erza could hear her pause outside and then the sound of retching reached her ears. Taking a look at the bloodbath around, she could understand the sentiments.

It took less than ten minutes for Jellal to arrive and Erza couldn't remember him ever looking that pale or scared. He didn't say anything as his gaze swept over the room before gathering both of them into his arms. He was shaking badly, Erza realized and she adjusted her hold on Isabelle so she could hold onto him with one arm.

"I have never been so scared as when I was told there was an attack," he confessed to her, his breath warm against her ear.

"We are both alright," Erza assured him.

He was calming down, she could see but even she wasn't prepared for the deadly calm in his eyes as he leaned back and looked directly into her eyes.

"Remind me of who I am," Jellal asked. "Remind me of my duty, of what I am supposed to do."

"Jellal?" she asked, confused.

"Right now, I want nothing more than to have the whole Sengar delegation executed, then gather the army and march on Sengar, razing it to the ground, no matter how much it would cost the Edolas."

Erza pulled him back to her. She shared his opinions though she would be far more graphic in her description of it. But she was also a soldier and a leader and the cold logic asserted itself into her revenge plans. If both of them lost their heads, it would drag the recovering kingdom into a war it didn't need.

"You are the King, Jellal," she started speaking. "You are responsible for the lives of your people. Wasting those lives in a costly war for the sake of revenge is not how it's supposed to be. We agreed that the war was to be the last resort. We still have other options, in fact," an idea presented itself to her. "I may have a perfect solution."

He looked at her.

"What kind of solution?"

"I was the one who brought Sengar down and defeated their forces. They still remember that. All we need to do is remind them of the fact."

* * *

The dinner was by then at the end, though the guests from Sengar lingered in the room. Soon, it would be time to make demands from Edolas. Demands that would be fullfilled if they didn't want their Princess to come to harm. It wouldn't be too long until then if the King's abrupt departure was anything to go by.

All thoughts of victory were wiped from the minds of the delegation when the door crashed open, a bloodied Queen stalking forward, dragging a corpse behind her. She stopped in front of the table, dropping her burden to the ground. The King entered quietly, the Princess safe in his arms. The red-headed woman glared at all of the people at the table in turn, finally stopping at the emissary.

"Tonight, four men from Sengar attempted to kidnap my daughter. I killed them," she let them absorb the impact of her words before continuing. "I'm not a forgiving person. If I had my way, I would kill you all with my bare hands before doing the same to your country. My husband, though, wishes for peace. Not out of weakness but because he cares for his people and doesn't want them to suffer through another war."

"But your attack tonight was unforgivable," Jellal said firmly. "I'm willing to give you a chance, though only one. Sign the peace treaty in its original form and depart from Edolas. If not," he shrugged and repeated, "if not, we will go to war. And I will reinstate my wife as the Supreme Commander of our forces, leaving her free to lead the war however she wishes."

"May I remind you that before I became the Queen, I was Erza Knightwalker, the Fairy Hunter? The one who brought Sengar down last time. And if you insist on fighting, I will make sure there is nothing left of Sengar after I'm finished with it," she smiled at them. "I'm not merciful, I'm not kind. I'm cruel and I enjoy the pain of others. And you have given me a perfect excuse for destroying you."

The words hung in the air, the Sengarians looking at each other, their gazes frequently flicking to the dead body of their agent and the blood splatters on Erza. The emissary finally heaved a sigh.

"We agree to your conditions. We will sign the treaty in its original proposed form."

* * *

It was hard to get the blood out of her hair but Erza had had enough experience that she did it in a record time. Putting on a dressing gown, she walked out of the bathroom into her and Jellal's room. He was standing by the crib which was relocated to their room until Isabelle's own was tidied up and cleaned. Erza stopped next to him, letting him pull her closer as he kept his eyes on their sleeping child.

"I should be happy that it turned out like this," he said quietly. "You are both safe, the largest problem of our foreign policy is solved, a peace will be kept."

"But the fear is still there," Erza finished for him. "This attempt failed but there might be others. Is that what you're afraid of?"

"Yes, partially," Jellal admitted. "I just don't know. I am far happier than I deserve to be and I keep thinking: what will be the price for this happiness?"

Erza stepped in front of him, taking hold of his face so he would look at her.

"The price is to be afraid that it will disappear. The price is to try your best to share that happiness. The price is to follow the path of the fate."

"The fate?"

"I told you on our wedding day. This, you and me, this marriage and family... it is fate. We both know it and we accepted it, didn't we?" she kissed him softly on the lips. "Stop thinking already, Jellal."

He returned the kiss and then hugged her firmly.

"As you wish, my Queen."

And this time, she didn't reprimand him for being sappy.

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, it's done. Before you jump on me for them being OOC, think about this: they have been married for fifteen months. They knew each other for over two years. They have a child together. Given the development, I think they are pretty much IC. Okay, self-promotion time: _Arrangement_ is a series of one-shots that takes place within this Edolas AU and describes the four months between the engagement and the wedding. First one is going up with this.


End file.
